Keep It Up

After establishing themselves as a multi-platinum arena act with Get Lucky, Loverboy continued to crank out their unique new wave-tinged style of AOR on Keep It Up. Although this album's hits weren't as large or as indelible as those from Get Lucky, Keep It Up is actually a more consistent album. This time, the songs that hit the charts were "Hot Girls in Love" and "Queen of the Broken Hearts." The former is an up-tempo tune in the classic Loverboy style that dishes up a fist-pumping guitar rock tune fleshed out with slick synthesizer and organ textures. The latter song is a different, more complex animal: it's the surprisingly observant tale of a woman reluctant to fall in love that plays out over a hook-laden mid-tempo tune that plays off meditative guitar-laden verses against a synth-driven chorus that suddenly accelerates the tempo to a dance-pop level. Elsewhere, the album combines AOR hooks with lush instrumental treatments that approach prog rock: "Prime of Your Life" and "One Sided Love Affair" are built on stately, almost classical synthesizer riffs, while "Danger Zone" boasts a complex arrangement that alternates moody electronics with dramatic guitar bombast. "Meltdown" is another tune in this artsy vein: it's a slow rocker that combines the heaviest guitar riffs on the album with layered synth parts reminiscent of Rush. None of the other tunes on Keep It Up are as instantly accessible as its hits, but everything is arranged and performed with care. As a result, the album doesn't suffer from the inconsistent songs that marred Get Lucky and succeeds as a fully realized album of pop/rock. In short, Keep It Up is a worthwhile listen for Loverboy fans and anyone who is into 1980s AOR. ~ Donald A. Guarisco